The husband of a woman who tragically shot their three daughters before taking her own life has shared his thoughts on the incident.
It was reported that the Wyoming mother called 911 on the afternoon of Monday, February 10, to report that her four daughters had been shot, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Unfortunately, when officers arrived at the scene, the evidence indicated that 32-year-old Tranyelle Harshman was responsible for the shooting before she committed suicide.
During her call to the dispatcher, she provided the location of the girls in the house, which led officers to discover the bodies with gunshot wounds to their heads.
Tragically, only the 7-year-old daughter survived, while her three sisters, aged 9, and two 2-year-olds, were found dead at the scene, as reported by MTN News.
When authorities located Harshman, she was initially alive, but succumbed to her injuries later.
As the investigation continues to unravel the events of that devastating day, Harshman’s husband, Cliff Harshman, shared some heart-wrenching details with Cowboy State Daily.
The grieving father, who lost three of his children, revealed that his wife had been undergoing treatment for severe mental health issues leading up to the incident.
This included conditions such as PTSD and postpartum depression.
“My wife is not a monster,” he said. “Most people don’t understand how that affects the brain. It’s a chemical imbalance … And it can be exacerbated by trying to fix it with medication.”
Cliff expressed his shock, stating: “This is so out of character. It’s unbelievable what had happened. We’d been getting her help, and along the way something didn’t work.”
Despite the tragedy, he says he still loves her.
“As angry as I may be with her, I still love her — and I still lost her as well,” he said.
Cliff is the father of the two youngest children who were killed, while Quinn Blackmer is the father of the two oldest.
Although they had differences since Tranyelle’s divorce, the tragedy has brought Cliff and Blackmer together as they seek comfort.
“I was thankful for (Blackmer),” said Cliff.
Blackmer has expressed similar feelings amidst the tragedy that resulted in one of his daughters being killed and the other in critical condition.
At the time of the murders, Cliff was out of state for work and rushed back to his family upon hearing the news.
While investigations continue, he is staying at a hotel and has been moved by the generosity of the community.
He mentioned that the hotel where he’s staying refused his payment, and he has received donated clothes since leaving his belongings in California.
“My support system is almost sickening to me because I hate accepting gifts,” said Cliff. “I’m so thankful for the community that I have.”
Cliff and Blackmer have set up two GoFundMe campaigns—one organized by Cliff’s coworker to support him, and another created by a woman to support Olivia’s medical expenses.
Regarding the surviving daughter, Cliff is concentrating on her recovery in Salt Lake City, stating: “I can only assume this is going to be a long recovery for Olivia. Whether it’s just in the hospital, or mentally.”